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Years after a lead-acid battery recycling plant shut down in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa, residents of Owino Uhuru say they are still living with lead poisoning, a public health risk they connect to the wider surge in battery use tied to Africa’s clean energy transition.
Faith Muthama, 40, described ongoing health problems and said her condition has never recovered. “Life has never been the same,” she said, wiping away sweat, adding that she still struggles with heavy chores because she experiences breathing difficulties. Muthama said that when she was tested in 2012, she was found with high lead levels in her blood.
Residents and experts link the Owino Uhuru contamination to operations that began in 2007, when Kenya Metal Refineries EPZ ran a lead-acid battery recycling plant within the settlement. According to the reporting, residents say toxic waste from the plant, which exported processed lead to India, seeped into the soil and water and contributed to widespread illness, with more than 20 deaths linked to the pollution. Even after the factory shut down in 2014, they say the damage remained.
Experts say lead exposure can harm neurological development and long-term health, particularly for children, and they warn the problem is not limited to small workshops. The Associated Press reports that similar risks have emerged across Africa as countries adopt more renewable energy, including off-grid solar systems that depend on batteries.
A February report by the Centre for Global Development, an independent think tank based in Washington and London, warned that rapid expansion of off-grid solar and battery storage is driving a sharp increase in demand for battery recycling. Much of that recycling is conducted in informal or poorly regulated settings, where hazardous materials can be released into the air, soil and water.
Lee Crawfurd, a senior research fellow at the Centre for Global Development, reviewed the report and said off-grid solar could account for a substantial share of batteries entering Africa’s recycling stream, adding that demand also comes from vehicles such as cars and motorbikes. Crawfurd said, “Safe recycling is expensive and that creates a strong incentive to do it unsafely,” and he argued that while banning lead-acid batteries is unfeasible, the key is making recycling safer.
The reporting also describes how the risk extends beyond small facilities, noting that even larger operations may lack adequate controls. It further points to the role of global supply chains in obscuring responsibility for recycled lead. Crawfurd said, “There needs to be accountability across the entire supply chain.”
In Owino Uhuru, activists and residents say legal steps have not translated into relief. Kenya’s Supreme Court awarded about $12 million in damages in 2025 to about 3,000 residents after a class-action lawsuit against the smelting company, in what the reporting described as a rare legal victory for victims of industrial pollution. Phyllis Omido, who leads the Centre for Justice Governance and Environmental Action (CJGEA) in Mombasa and helped residents take the case to court, said, “It’s sad that the state has ignored prioritizing the compensation payment as ordered by the court,” adding that the funds would have alleviated the suffering of residents.
Alfred Ogulo, 70, a village elder, said he is still waiting for help after exhausting his resources treating himself. “I am just waiting for help as I have exhausted all my resources treating myself,” he said, his speech described as slightly slurred, and he added that earlier tests showed extremely high lead levels in his blood. Ogulo said he suffered nerve damage and limited mobility, including that he cannot walk without a stick and experiences serious chest pain and coughs from the toxic fumes residents say they breathed when the factory was operating.
Mejumaa Hassan Nyanje, 60, said the delays have deepened frustration and fear. She described fighting back tears as she asked, “Is it fair that we are the ones still chasing justice while the company walks away?” Nyanje added, “Will we all die before justice is served? It feels like we’ve been abandoned, like our lives and our health don’t matter.”